Putin talks ship-building development

Photo ITAR-TASS/ Alexey Nikolski

VLADIVOSTOK, August 30 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed to come up with plan to pass the construction of a shipyard Zvezda in the Far East from the United Shipbuilding Corporation to a consortium involving Rosneft and Gazprombank before the end of September.

Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said at a meeting in Vladivostok that his agency needs about a month to think it over. For his part, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin noted that his company is prepared to do everything within three days.

“Well, let’s do it within three days, but if you fail to do it within three days, I should have it on my table before the end of next month (September),” Putin said. He noted once again that it is needed to prepare the documents as quickly as possible, though Rosneft will most likely not manage to do it within three days. “But it should be done before the end of next month, I should see it on paper,” the president concluded.

Putin also said that foreign shipbuilders should realize that Russia will cease to buy their marine machinery, if they refuse cooperation with specific Russian manufacturers.

“Our foreign partners and producers of marine machinery should realize that we will stop buying their products some time along the line, if they do not cooperate with us,” Putin said. The president recalled, “We have already witnessed all this in the making, all this is done a long time ago, we have walked down this road, it was quite difficult, and the negotiations were no easy, particularly within Russia’s accession in the World Trade Organization, and some debates still continue, but it is done in general.” The president admitted that shipbuilding is another production cycle, “but it has much in common” with the carmaking.

Putin also raised the question over the refusal of a South Korean investor to participate in the construction of a new Russian shipyard Zvezda in the Far East. “The more orders will place abroad, particularly in South Korea, the lower the interests they will have to invest in Russia,” the president added.